Below are just a few of the testimonials from Sandra's clients (and at the bottom of the page - one from Sandra herself!) There's nothing like word of mouth to spread the good news!

GOODBYE IBUPROFIN HELLO FELDENKRAIS®

I have always been one of those guys who gets injured and just keeps on going. I always have a ready supply of ibuprofen in my house, my jacket, my car... well, you get the picture. After a series of accidents over the last ten years that did not get nearly the attention they deserved it all came to a head. I was 30 years old and felt sixty when I got out of bed in the morning. I was even having trouble putting socks on. For a guy who skis 50+ days a year and spends the rest of the year on a mountain bike, the signs were all there: I was not recovering fast any more!

So I carried out visit after visit to all the usual health care suspects:
chiro, physio, active release, massage, yoga, etc. Nothing produced more that a quick relief from the pain and discomfort. Nothing sustained... until a friend of mine sat me down and dialed Sandra's number.

After 4 or 5 visits to Sandra I was on my way. I can honestly say that Sandra and her Feldenkrais® technique has changed my life. I am much more aware of my body and how it reacts. Sandra took great care in discovering what type of lifestyle I lead and helped map out a recovery path. She would follow up with emails and give me lots of 'homework', that I actually liked doing.

Today, Feldenkrais® is a part of my daily life. I have more movement in my core than I can remember and don't rely on ibuprofen anymore. I do my exercises each day and even throughout the day. I am back skiing as hard as I want, I am more productive at work and feel way better in the mornings.

I'd like to thanks Sandra and recommend that you tell all your friends and family about her!

Todd Avison
Kelowna, BC
That's Todd pictured above skiing

RELIEF FOR ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS

I began therapy sessions with Sandra for an arthritic condition called AS which causes stiffness and fusing of the vertebrae.Although my condition cannot be cured, Sandra's hands-on therapy has given me more flexibility, better mobility and definitely better posture.

My specialist is amazed at how straight I stand. Thank you Sandra.

Wendy Falkowski
Kelowna, BC

PAINLESS PHYSIO FOR THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME

I started seeing Sandra in November 2008. When I came to Sandra I had pain and numbness in my left hand. Although the first visit didn’t give me any noticeable results, after a few more sessions my numbness had substantially diminished. I now have more mobility in my left shoulder, and my pain medication has been reduced.

Feldenkrais® is painless physio and I’ve already recommended Sandra to my family and friends.

Ray Mitchell
Kelowna, BC
(after being referred to Sandra by a Thoracic Surgeon)

BALANCING ACT

My yoke had been twisted for some time and normal sitting/standing posture felt "off" to me. I had residual pain in my left shoulder and upper back area with very cranky muscles especially rhomboids. I also needed fascial release in neck and shoulder area.  I went to Sandra and together we were able to release fascia that IMS and physio had not been able to get to. I learned to listen and pay attention to my body and relearned how to sit up properly.

After years of daily pain in my shoulder and upper back I now seldom feel discomfort or pain.  My body was begging for this. While working with Sandra we were able to find ways to correct the misalighments.  My body responded immediately and my body has shown progess with every treatment. I am regaining a feeling of power in my body that I felt I had lost and worried I would never get back.

With Feldenkrais® there is a refinement of healing that can take the body to a place of balance that few others can. Working together with Sandra has created a bridge to balance and improved body awareness.

Ruth Breemer
Kelowna, BC

KNEED TO BE PAIN FREE

On November 10, 1999, I had a knee replacement and all movement was quite painful and difficult. The home physiotherapist wanted me to do exercises that I found to be extremely painful and I was not able to bend my knee. Therefore, I asked Sandra Bradshaw if she could do some Feldenkrais® work with me. I found I could then move quite freely without pain and the sessions with Sandra did not even hurt. In five lessons, I regained enough movement to be able to use my stationary bicycle without pain.

Bobbie Ford
Winfield , BC

FELDENKRAIS® GETS HIM BACK ON THE GREENS 

For several months following surgery on my right shoulder, I was unable to raise my arm more than 30 degrees to the side. As a right-handed golfer, this was serious! In addition, my unaffected left arm could not be raised when I was trying to raise both arms together. None of the medical practitioners involved was able to suggest a solution and several weeks of physiotherapy had no effect at all on this phenomenon. Very early in my Feldenkrais® sessions, the left arm was released so that it could be raised past the level where the right arm seemed to be locked and after a total of 13 sessions, I was able to raise my right arm and get back to the serious business of golfing!

In addition, Feldenkrais® helped to increase the mobility of my jaw, which was also effected by the surgery. (Prior to the lesson with Sandra, I was unable to open my mouth enough for any dental work to be done so this was an added bonus).

Jack Somers
Kelowna, BC

BABY BACK ON TRACK

Thank you so much for your help with my son Steven. It is hard to believe that in only three short sessions with you he lost all the tension in his shoulders and is using his arms normally. He is even crawling on all fours with great speed now.

Here is a quick overview of what Steven was like before your treatments and what he looks like now. Steven had a hard birth and was always quite tense and stiff although he has always been a good baby. At about five months of age, we noticed that he still kept his arms pulled back stiffly when we held him, sort of like a permanent startle reflex. You came to see him when he was about six months old. During the first session, he seemed to become more relaxed and this continued and increased during the other two sessions. He now cuddles when he is being held and as I said before, he crawls on all fours with great speed. In fact, I have to be sure that the gates are all closed, because he is very quick. I can no longer see any cause for concern with Steven's motor development.

Cheryl Williams
Vanderhoof , BC

 MOVING SPEECH

I have enjoyed working with you over the past seven years. Your focus on the whole child has been very beneficial to my speech and language students. As these children begin to understand the mechanics of their whole bodies, they also develop an understanding of the movements required for articulating specific speech sounds. The integration of movement activities into daily routines, with the associated vocabulary, allows for frequent practice and reinforcement, a very necessary part of learning new skills. Thank you for helping my students to succeed.

Barbara Williams, MSc, SLP(C)
Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

NO MORE PAIN WITH REPETITIVE STRAIN

For more than eight years, I suffered with chronic tendonitis in both arms, caused by repetitive strain injury. I tried anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone shots, and physical therapy including ultra-sound and electro-magnetic treatments, chiropractic treatments and acupuncture.

Everything seemed to work, but only for a very short period. The pain and swelling always returned. Added to the pain was the frustration of coping with the change in each caregiver's outlook. At the start, each felt he could cure me, but ended up with the advice “quit your job”. This was not an option – as well as needing to work, I enjoy my job and the people with whom I work.

A client from work suggested I call Sandra Bradshaw and try a Feldenkrais® lesson. She herself has been studying Feldenkrais® and felt I might gain some relief. She was right. In four lessons, Sandra showed me to relax, acknowledge the pain, and find ways to relieve it.

Three of our busiest work months later, I am still able to manage the pain and I am still employed at the same job. Sandra taught me to become aware of rather than to block the pain and move a little differently to ease the pain. Simple as it sounds, it worked. Pain no longer controls my life.

Andi Wyper
Kelowna , BC

And now ...  Sandra's Story.

I have been involved in the Feldenkrais Method® since 1995. The journey started when I was in my early 40’s and had begun to realize that my body wasn’t as responsive as it once had been. Fortunately I didn’t have any really severe problems but the writing was on the wall—use it or lose it!

I began to seriously consider my exercise options. I had been an avid yoga practitioner for over 20 years but I had plateaued and in spite of my best efforts I was beginning to lose ground. I was at a crossroads when a friend had me try an ATM lesson. The name was enough to perk my interest so with nothing to lose I spent the next ten minutes going through a series of movements that were gentle, minimal and I suspected of no value at all. Much to my surprise when I was done I was able to turn more easily and had greater range of motion. At first I only saw this work as a way to become more flexible. It was only later that I began to realize how it was changing my whole life.

In 2008 I had reason to be grateful that I embarked on this journey. It was simple enough to start, I wrenched my shoulder.

An event that happened in seconds took over seven months to heal.  As a Feldenkrais® practitioner I thought that I would be able to work with myself and have a full recovery in a few short weeks.  I reasoned that Moshe Feldenkrais had recovered from his knee problem without help, so could I.

I was never incapacitated and didn’t feel pain during the day. The nights were another story.  What I didn’t realize was that I tried to relax the muscles in my shoulder and arm too much - muscles that had stopped firing when it was injured and were needed to support the shoulder when I was about to engage in an activity.  This relaxation of the muscles sent my nervous system into “red alert”

After three and a half months of increasing discomfort I found someone that could work with me to stabilize my shoulder and get the muscles firing in the right way. Unfortunately I was now on the verge of a full blown frozen shoulder.

I met with Dr. Donna McAllister at Okanagan Health and Performance. Donna had something in her toolkit called Active Release Technique (ART). It’s designed to release deep adhesions in muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia and nerves to re-activate proper muscle firing and function.  I also had a few sessions with Dr. Mike Schmidt, who is also a chiropractor at OHP.  Mike was able to give me a series of exercises designed to strengthen the affected muscles in a variety of skill sets.

As it turned out ART and Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® were a match made in heaven.  I have been able to get back about 90% of my range and function.  I see changes every day that move me towards that 100%.

Three cheers for Donna, Mike and OHP for the part they played in my recovery and for the Feldenkrais Method®.

Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, and Functional Integration® are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner ™ and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher ™ are certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild®.